Woman accused of stealing from care facility residents

A Valley Springs woman is accused of stealing from residents at a Sonora live-in care facility where she worked as a nursing assistant.

The Sonora Police Department said that Sarah Jimenez, 37, has been booked into the Tuolumne County Jail on charges of felony burglary, felony theft/embezzlement as a caretaker, felony possession of stolen property and felony possession of a controlled substance. She was arrested Monday.

Jimenez told an officer who confronted her that she was returning from selling gold to a jewelry store, police said. Investigators later determined that the gold had been stolen from a resident of the care facility on East Jackson Street.

A search of Jimenez's purse yielded other stolen jewelry, gold and household items, police said. Officers also found 27 Lorazepam pills for which Jimenez did not have a prescription.